Your T-shirt's life story (before it met you)
1. From the fieldEvery cotton T-shirt starts life in a cotton field, most likely in China, India or the United States. It takes anywhere from 700 to 2,000 gallons of water to produce about a pound of conventional cotton — enough for a single T-shirt. Cotton grown in the United States uses comparatively less water; however, about a third of a pound of chemical pesticides and fertilizers go into each pound of conventionally grown American cotton. (Photo: furiousgeorge81/Flickr)
2. To the gin The harvested cotton bolls are shipped to a gin, where the fluff is separated from the seeds and pressed into bales. The gin is usually located in the same country where the cotton was grown. Ginning mills produce very fine dust that poses a significant breathing hazard to workers without proper ventilation and protective gear. (Photo: Billums/Flickr)
3. To the spinnerFrom the gin, the bales of cotton fibers go to a spinning facility, where they’re carded, combed, blended and twisted into yarn. Most spinning factories are located in China and India. Some will go on to weave or knit the cotton into sheets, while others will move the spun yarn to another facility for weaving. (Photo: Unhindered by Talent/Flickr)
4. To the loomAt a mill, huge machines knit or weave the cotton yarn into sheets of fabric, but the cloth is rough and grayish — not T-shirt worthy just yet. (Photo: amasc/Flickr)
5. "Wet" processingThe gray cotton moves on for “wet” processing, where it’s treated with heat and chemicals to take on its final look and feel. In many Chinese textile mills, when dyes are rinsed off fabric the polluted wastewater ends up in local rivers, which change color according to the fashion of the season. Many dyes contain toxic chemicals which are hazardous to human health and the environment.
At the final stage of wet processing, fabric is “finished” in order to make it softer, cleaner, smoother or better able to take on coloring. To this end, the fabric is washed, scoured, bleached, rinsed and sometimes dipped in acid. All these finishing processes require the use of chemicals, heat and water, and produce contaminated wastewater. (Photo: Laura Kleinhenz)
6. To the garment factoryThe finished cloth is sent (probably from somewhere in Asia) to a designer or directly to a garment factory (probably in Mexico) to be cut and stitched into a T-shirt. About 12 to 15 percent of the fabric will end up as scraps on the cutting room floor, depending on how the pattern is laid out. (Photo: themikebot/Flickr)
7. To the clothing company and the storeThe finished T-shirt makes its way from the garment factory to a brand name clothing company or to a trading company and from there — on the last leg of its multinational journey — the shirt is neatly stacked on a shelf at your local department store, clothing store, big box retailer or factory outlet. Yours for just $9.99. (Photo: moe in berlin/Flickr)
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Missed a step- eco-friendly inks
Posted By Julia Christman - Fri, Mar 12 2010 at 3:39 PM ESTI enjoyed reading this article...it's so amazing to think of all the steps in the supply chain process. Serviously, why can't we streamline it better? There is actually another step- screenprinting that often happens after the t-shirt is sewn. It is transported to another place where it is printed/embellished. The good news is that there are more eco-friendly printing options which include soy inks as well as water-based screenprinting. Verde Agency in San Diego develops custom green.... More
Better ways to produce
Posted By Anna Herman - Thu, Mar 11 2010 at 10:40 AM ESTVery informative. To cut down on this . I want to see more organic cotton grown in the US south , then the mills, the dying houses ( using low impact dyes) and the factories should be next to the cotton fields where they once were before synthethtics became so popular. This would reduce the carbonfoot print & allow the price of something made in the US to be lower. There are too many middle men in the fashion industry , which also raises the price. Thanks for wtiting about it.
Anna.... More
Great Post
Posted By Dan - Fri, Mar 05 2010 at 8:19 PM ESTWe all like low prices but at the minimum we should be aware that that low priced T shirt at any major retailer has hidden costs borne by us all in one way or another. Look for alternatives whenever possible.
Love stories like this.....
Posted By Momof2 - Fri, Mar 05 2010 at 11:47 AM EST...you kind of forgot the last recycling moment though...I was in Ghana several years ago and the small villages were filled with men wearing Red Sox t-shirts and Mardi Gras hats....I guess it all makes it there via Goodwill & Salvation Army.....
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Posted By 4727 - Fri, Jun 25 2010 at 9:36 AM ESTThe novel also includes the double meaning of a love story between Oliver and his father, highlighted by the scene between Oliver and his father at the end of the book. When Mr. Barrett realizes that Jenny is ill and that his son borrowed the money for her, he immediately sets out for New York. By the time he reaches the hospital, Jenny is dead. Mr. Barrett apologizes to his son, who replies with something Jenny once told him: .... More